It Had to Be You
by Misspiggy12431
Summary: After the death of his grandfather, Lance is taking over his beloved farm. All the girls have their eyes on him, but only one catches his eye. Harvest Moon: Back to Nature


Chapter One: Love @ First Sight  
  
I'll never forget the day I met Mary. It was my first day back at the farm, and the mayor was showing me around the village. Even though I spent a summer here when I was younger, I could barely remember anything. So far the village seemed all right, the blacksmith not too friendly, but I could live with it.  
  
"The villagers are nice." The mayor tried to assure me, as he pointed out the winery. "You just have to get to know them. Then they'll open up."  
  
I nod, even though I doubted his theory. Once we reached the corner, he stopped in his tracks.  
  
"This is the library. You can find lots of books here about the history of town, and bugs and plants. Mary runs it." The mayor explained, letting me stare at the small little store. This wasn't anything like the city, so I knew I'd have to get used to it.  
Suddenly I felt the presence of someone behind me. I turned, seeing a short girl with bright pink hair walking towards us. She smiled; her cheeks flushed of red. She was holding a handful of flowers.  
"Oh, hello Popori." The mayor smiled. "This is Lance, he's inherited the Huckleberry Farm."  
She had bright eyes, eyeing me like I was some kind of animal. "It's nice to meet you." She said.  
"Popori here lives on the Poultry farm." The mayor pointed out.  
"It's a family business." Popori added, smiling so wide I thought her face would break out.  
"I'm showing Lance here around the village." The mayor explained. "It's his first day."  
"What do you think of the village so far, Lance?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"It's nice." I tried to sound excited. "Different from what I'm used too."  
"He's from the city." The mayor clarified.  
Popouri looked at me again then smiled one last time. "Well, I best be going. I'm late. It was nice to meet you."  
"You too." I reply, watching her walk away.  
  
After another hour of walking and talking, I was finally left alone. It wasn't that I didn't like the mayor-or the village. It was just I'm not very social person, at least not with people I don't know. And I'm not in the mood to talk about my grandfather's death to everyone I see in sight.  
I glanced around the farm-or my farm, not sure what to do first. The weeds were overgrown everywhere, so much I could barely walk through it. All I had was a small little sickle, which would take days to clear. The spring sun was hot, and already I felt lightheaded.  
  
My dog Mickey wagged his tail playfully, looking up at me. His soggy tongue hung out of his mouth, as he lay down under the apples tree to sleep. The only shade on the entire farm, and my dog got it before me!  
  
~  
  
Hours later, I walked through the village. The sun was setting and most villagers weren't outside. I had met just about everyone, from the farmer Barley (who gave me a horse) to the awkward pastor Carter. As I turned the corner, I could hear voices.  
I stepped back, so I wouldn't be seen.  
  
"Mary, why won't you just talk to me?" Gray, a boy I saw in the blacksmith whispered harshly.  
I saw a short, dark hared girl standing outside the library. She had glasses and soft brown eyes. I watched her wiggle through her keys to find the right one.  
"Gray, leave me alone." She cried softly, shaking her head. "Go home."  
"I've been here all week, and you haven't even looked at me." Gray sighed, standing behind her. He began to put his hands on her shoulders. "Just give me a minute."  
Mary finally found the right key and quickly locked the door. She swung his arms off her. "You don't deserve a minute. You don't deserve a second. You had time to talk before, but you didn't. Now leave me alone, or else I'll tell my father."  
That must of set him off, because Gray said one last thing (too quiet for me to hear) and then left. Whatever he said must of upset her, because she broke out into a cry. She slumped against the door down to the ground, burrowing her face in her arms.  
I slowly approached her, not sure what to do. I stood there a moment, just watching her. When she cried, her whole body shook. Just when I was about to leave, I stepped on a branch, making a loud crack. She slowly looked up, surprised to see someone.  
"I'm sorry." I said quickly. "I was just leaving."  
"It doesn't matter," Mary replied, wiping her eyes, "how long were you standing there?"  
I could tell she was embarrassed. "Oh, not too long."  
She stood up, shuttering from the cold. "Aren't you Lance, from the Huckleberry farm?"  
I glanced back at her, seeing her lips quiver. "Yeah, that's me."  
"I've heard about you." Mary said quietly. "I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather."  
I nodded, not saying anything. I slipped my hands into my pockets. The wind blew, the trees swinging in the breeze. The temperature had dropped dramatically. We were quiet a minute, neither of us moving or speaking.  
"I'm sorry you had to hear that." Mary said suddenly, breaking the silence.  
"What's up with that guy anyway?" I asked, feeling like I was budding into her life. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts.  
Mary shook her head. "He just won't leave me alone."  
I didn't ask her anymore questions, knowing it was probably complicated and none of my business. Just when she opened her mouth to speak, we heard a door open next-door.  
"Hey, Mary." A girl appeared, wearing a white apron. She smiled at me, in that familiar way. "Can you help me? Stu is driving me crazy."  
"Sure." Mary said quickly, glancing at me. She walked towards the girl, her eyes dragging to the floor. Just before she left, she looked back at me. "It was nice to meet you."  
"You too." I watched her close the door behind her. It was then that I realized she hadn't officially told me her name.  
  
I don't know what it was about this Mary girl. To admit, she wasn't the most attractive girl in the village. She seems too plain and boring, unlike the usual girls I like. But it was something about her. Something that made her stick out from the rest, other than looks and appeal. She just seemed to have this charm about her, something I hadn't seen before. She didn't seem like most girls, girls who are so caught up in themselves they don't care about anything else. She seemed to have more to life to her. And the biggest, she looked at me differently then the other girls do. 


End file.
